MoveOn Staying Out Of NY Senate Race

The liberal MoveOn.org, which played a big role in anti-war candidate Ned Lamont’s defeat of Sen. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut’s Democratic primary, will do no such thing for anti-war candidate Jonathan Tasini’s impending challenge to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY.Â

The results of today’s MoveOnÂ poll of the Democratic U.S. Senate primary contest between Hillary Clinton and Jonathan Tasini are:

Clinton: 56 percent

Tasini: 44 percent

MoveOn requires a candidate to receive support from two-thirds of members polled in order to win the endorsement. Since neither candidate came close to that, MoveOn will stay out of the race.

“Our focus will remain beating vulnerable incumbents in the House and working to end one-party Republican rule in Washington,” said Eli Pariser, director of MoveOn.org Political Action.

The fact that MoveOn won’t put its imprint on Tasini is a not-unexpected blow. He said the information poll participants received was the first some of them may have heard of him, and he questioned whether it was “balanced.”

Nevertheless, Tasini insistedÂ he was “heartened” by the poll’s outcome.

“These results are a broader indicator than other polls that have come out because they give the opinion of many more voters among the Democratic activist base,” Tasini said in a statement released by his campaign. Â

Tasini said MoveOn should join his call for Clinton to debate him before the primary. He sought to highlight the lack of debates during his visit to the State Fair today by bringing with him a staffer in a chicken suit (a time-honored political tradition).

Clinton and her husband were at the fair today, too, and spent a lot of time fielding questions about her presidential aspirations.

Aides to Tasini said the Secret Service made sure the chicken did not get anywhere near the Clintons.